10 Resolutions for Your Home

New Year -- Clean House '

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

My house is a mess and my New Year's resolution is to clean it up! But how daunting does that sound? My house is pretty big after all. Do you have any ideas for smaller resolutions that will help me get my home in order?

Sincerely,

Clean It Up

A:

Dear Clean It Up,

Cleaning your house up is a fabulous New Year's resolution, but you'll definitely want to make it into smaller, more manageable resolutions so you don't end up getting overwhelmed and chucking the whole resolution out the door like last week's newspaper.

10 great New Year's resolutions for your home:

1. Clean out the closets -- all of them! Give what you don't use to a charity. There are plenty of them. If you can't find one, call The Red Cross and ask where you can donate.

2. Make sure your hot water heater, water filter (if you have one), heating vents, and other non-noticeable parts of your home are working properly.

3. Roof maintenance. This is a preventative measure that is worth value in your home.

4. Clean your chimney. Yes, there are such things as chimney sweeps.

5. Clean the windows -- or have them professionally cleaned.

6. Do your tree-trimming and finish the landscaping you wanted to do.

7. Clean out the garage. Have a garage sale with everything you don't need any more in the house.

8. Book sweep. Go through your bookshelves and make a box of all the books you are not going to read again, and donate them to your library or sell them to a used book store. Use the money you make to buy new books you want to read.

9. Light bulb patrol. Replace burned out bulbs (inside and out), and try to use fluorescent bulbs that save energy where possible. If you live in a place that is dark outside, and possibly unsafe (either because of dangerous steps and walkways or crime), add some outdoor lights.

10. Have an open house. Invite your friends and neighbors to an open house -- cook or have it pot luck. Make sure you invite all those people you've meant to call, but haven't gotten around to in the last year.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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